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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · mine · chest · wax · stick · plane · stock · fork

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — goods
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chest — a box
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com